1st Person View | Solution's (10%) PoV
So, let's see…
Three goblins with serpent daggers, two with shortbows, all wrapped in stained burlap cloaks. Further back, there's a goblin in a filthy robe clutching an orb pulsing with that sickly greenish glow.
Their yellow, beady eyes gleam in the dim light of the hallway as they skitter forward, no doubt hungry for their next easy kill.
An arcane caster—figures. We're off to a fantastically unfair start, ladies and gentlemen. At level one, there's not a chance in hell anyone here could handle a goblin caster. Guess I'll have to thin the herd before sending my amateurs in to play hero.
I motion for the students to line up behind me. Christian steps out first, followed by the others, most looking nervous, a few with the misplaced eagerness of people who don't know what they're up against.
The clank of armor and shifting weapons immediately draws the goblins' attention. The caster raises its orb, the orange glow brightening, trembling ominously. A fireball in this narrow hall would be enough to roast the whole class.
I raise my revolver, steadying my aim on the caster. "No chance."
I pull the trigger, and the hallway explodes in a flash of green. The shot rips through the goblin's skull, leaving a splatter of putrid green ichor and a crater in the wall behind it. The orb slips from its clawed fingers, and it slumps to the floor.
Behind me, my so-called "warriors" stand frozen, wide-eyed. "You all good?" I glance back, catching a few still flinching from the gunshot.
"Every fight is a lesson. Consider this your first one."
A hand shoots up. "Um, do you mean this is our first fight, or our first lesson?"
Mentally, I drag my hands down my face. Unbelievable.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, swallowing back a sigh. "Just… clean up the rest of them," I mutter, pushing past the line of rookies.
The goblins, enraged by the loss of one of their own, charge forward. Christian snaps into action, trying to organize the students into a formation.
"All ranged units, get to the back! Melee fighters with shields, up front! Spellcasters right behind them, and clerics, I want you covering the rear. We can do this, everyone!" Sweat beads down their faces as the snarling goblins crash into the frontline.
The three dagger-wielding goblins meet the students with spears, who thrust their weapons wildly, managing to hold the goblins back just enough to prevent a reckless attack. Meanwhile, the archer goblins launch a volley, their arrows hammering against makeshift shields.
"Urgh!" One of the students grimaces, holding a shield that's trembling in his grip. "These goblins are no joke! My arm feels like it's about to snap, and I blocked the arrow!"
In the brief lull between volleys, one of the students swings his double-sided axe down hard, cleaving into a dagger goblin. A spray of foul green blood splashes nearby students.
"Haha! I did it! I actually killed one—" He's cut off as an arrow sinks into his shoulder.
"Augh! Damnit! You little green bastards! I'll kill you!" he yells, furious and in pain. He looks ready to break formation and charge at the goblins.
"No!" Christian shouts. "We need to time our strikes! Attack when their archers are reloading, then get back behind cover." He turns to the rear line. "Archers, aim and fire when the goblins are exposed! Front guard, keep your heads down!"
Well, this is a good time to squeeze in some training.
I signal to the cleric. She looks fresh out of highschool, maybe 18 or 19, with long blonde hair and big blue eyes. The armor, while big, does fit her perfectly. I'm guessing the system tailors items to fit its user.
"You're a healer, right? The cleric?" She gives a shaky nod. "Got a Minor Damage Removal cantrip?"
"Uh...yeah," she stammers, glancing at her system window, fumbling to open the spell menu.
"Good," I say. "Here's how you use it. You'll want to customize the verbal and somatic parts." Her brow creases in confusion, so I break it down.
"Think of a spell word, it could be anything. Want to chant 'abracadabra' like some hack? Go for it. Or just 'heal.' Whatever works." She's halfway through a nervous smile when someone interrupts, predictably: the injured kid.
"Can you just heal me already?" he snaps.
His hand clutches a bleeding wound from his shoulder, and he's glaring at the cleric as if she's somehow the goblin that shot him.
Common trope number two—or maybe number three? There's always the lunkhead who gets hurt by no fault of others, then gets mad when the healers don't heal him right away. Figures that people who rage in the game are like that in real life.
I fix him with a look. "Let her focus. Or would you rather bleed out because you couldn't keep your mouth shut?" He looks pissed, but he doesn't say another word.
The cleric gulps, pulls herself together, and mutters her spell, her hand glowing as she places it over the wound. The light flickers but stabilizes. He winces, then sighs as the wound starts to close.
"See?" I nod. "That's how it's done."
While I'm busy with the cleric, another dagger goblin is taken out—this time by a student with a spear, who struggles to shake the goblin's corpse off his weapon. "Sack of shit…" he grumbles.
I glance over at our so-called archers, and I have to hold my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. They're all staring at the ground, their arrows littered across the floor, ceiling, and walls—anywhere but near the goblins.
I raise an eyebrow, and all of them give me the "I've never done this before!" look. It's like I can almost see their tails drooping.
Suddenly, I hear a yell from the front lines. Looking back, I see Christian stab the last dagger-wielding goblin through the chest with his sword. "Now, everyone! Get the archers!" he shouts, raising his sword triumphantly before hurling the goblin's corpse at the remaining archers.
The goblin archers have to scramble to dodge out of the way, their once-steady volley broken. Christian quickly scoops up a serpent dagger left by one of the fallen goblins and hurls it toward one of the goblin archers.
It's a perfect shot—a sickening thud and wet squelch echo down the hall as the dagger embeds itself in the goblin's forehead. Its eyes roll back as it slumps to the ground.
The last goblin, now visibly trembling, glances frantically around before making a desperate break for freedom down the hallway. It drops its bow, shrieking in terror, clawing at the floor to crawl faster.
And that's when an arrow soars past me and the students who are beginning to chase the straggler. It flies true, landing squarely in the goblin's back with a heavy thunk. The goblin lets out a final squeal, slumping as its clawing slows, defeated.
I look back to see where the arrow came from.
Standing there is a girl about my height, her waist-length brown hair catching a faint glow from the lights lining the hall overhead. Her eyes are glowing a brilliant purple, a trace of magic shimmering as she slowly exhales and slings her crossbow over her shoulder with a satisfied smirk. The purple fades from her eyes, revealing a hazel hue.
"Whew! Took me a while to figure out how to use my Hunter's Mark, but I got it now!" she says, her voice proud. She raises her right hand, her index finger glowing with a faint purple energy.
"All I have to do is channel the magic into my hand, focus it into my finger like this…" Her fingertip pulses with light as if in demonstration.
"Then, I just point at the target, release the energy, and pow!" She gestures like she's firing off another shot. "That little bastard didn't stand a chance—not against the greatest Ranger in all of Sablethorn!"
She grins wider, basking in her small victory, while a few of the other students look on with newfound admiration. I can't help but let out a small chuckle. She reminds me of someone.
"Impressive shot," I say, nodding at her, "but don't get cocky. One good hit doesn't make you invincible."
She laughs, rolling her eyes a little, but I can see she's listening. "Maybe not, but it's a start, right?" she replies, clearly pleased with herself.
"It's a start," I agree. "Now, let's hope you can keep that focus when things aren't going in your favor."
Turning back to the group, I gesture for them to gather around. They shuffle forward, some looking relieved, others still on edge.
"Alright, lesson two?" I say, making sure I've got everyone's attention. "Remember what just happened here. This is how real fights work—you're thrown in, outgunned, and it's on you to keep your head. You may have had the numbers advantage, but your enemy was far more experienced than you. Each one of you has a strength you bring to the field. If you don't use them well, you'll end up like those goblins."
A few students glance at the fallen goblins.
"And you, Christian." I give him a nod, acknowledging his quick thinking. "Good job holding the front; There may be hope for you yet. Don't be afraid to think a few moves ahead next time, though. You'll need to learn how to anticipate."
He straightens up. "Understood, sir."
I take one last glance at the students, assessing their readiness, or lack thereof. The goblins may have been the weakest enemies they'd face, but if they could learn from this, maybe there was hope.
"All right," I say, snapping them back to attention. "You've taken your first steps into a real fight. From here on, remember: nothing's guaranteed but what you make of it."
Other students begin cautiously stepping out of their classrooms, visibly tense after hearing the sounds of fighting echo through the halls. Can't say I blame them. If I weren't already loaded with experience and power, I'd be terrified, too.
"Well, looks like my job here is done. Don't forget to loot the goblins for supplies, especially that magic orb." I open my inventory and pull out a lesser teleportation stone.
Christian steps forward. "Thank you–"
But before he can finish, I crush the teleportation stone, and my vision blurs into a swirl of blue as the magic takes effect. I aim for a distance within 120 feet, deciding the rooftop will give me the best vantage to check the school grounds.
As my vision clears, I find myself standing on the rooftop.
"Oh…my God…"
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◆ System Notice: [World Integration – Phase One]
Physical laws are recalibrating to match Sablethorn parameters. Expect perceptual distortion, temporal lag, and spatial rewriting. Vision and balance errors are temporary side effects of dimensional syncing. Refrain from hostile actions until local physics stabilization reaches 100%.
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